Abuse of Trust
by Scription Addict
Summary: When a 50 year old man turns up dead on wasteland, his DNA is linked to the unsolved murder of a 7 year old girl, will involve all pre season 4 characters, and will be Boyd/Grace pairing, full summary inside
1. Home Life

**Summary**

When a 50 year old man turns up dead on wasteland, his DNA is linked to the unsolved murder of a 7 year old girl, who disappeared from a playground 5 years ago, her body turned up 2 weeks later, she had been raped and murdered, the DNA of more than one man was found on the victim, but no match was ever made on the DNA database and no one was ever charged with this hideous crime. But the DNA of this murder victim matches the DNA from the victim.

This is pre series 4, but is not connected to any story lines form the show, this is my first WTD FF, but I have written stuff for the Bill, so hopefully won't be too bad, fingers crossed, it is Boyd and Grace, as they are my favorite characters, for the purposes of this fic Grace is a single parent to a 15 year old daughter.

Rating - M, will be references to child abuse, strictly non graphic reference only, will be use of bad language and sexual scenes.

Disclamier - I don't own waking the dead, I'm just having some fun. Hope you enjoy, please review, I already have the first 4 chapters pre written but will post them at intervals.

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><p><strong>Chapter one – Home Life<strong>

Grace sat at her kitchen table, toast and coffee in front of her, she flicked through the post that had just come through the door, as she did so she heard the footsteps of her 15 year old daughter coming down the stairs.

Grace was a single parent, falling pregnant after a brief fling, she decided to keep the baby, and had a little girl. Amber Leigh Foley was now 15 years old, she was beautiful, intelligent and funny, and was the apple of Grace's eye.

Amber sat at the table and poured herself a glass of orange juice, she pinched a slice of Grace's toast, "Oy you, make your own toast" Grace said with a smile

Amber smiled back at her whilst munching loudly on the toast, "Mum, you're supposed to provide me with hearty breakfast before I leave for school"

"and you're supposed to be in before 8pm on a school night"

Amber cringed, "oopps, yeah sorry about that, I lost track of time"

"You mean you thought I was working late and would never find out"

"Sorry Mum" she said in her best whining voice, knowing that Grace was always too soft on her. "Anyways, I hope I didn't interrupt you and Boyd yesterday, you looked all cosy'd up when I came in"

"Nice try at changing the subject Amber"

"I said Sorry Mama" she rested her head on Grace's shoulder, and tried to imitate a lost puppy look

"Don't let it happen again"

"You sound like a Fed, I think Boyd is having a bad effect on you"

"A fed? I think you're watching too many American cop shows"

"Maybe, so what about you and Boyd then, he spends half is life around here, is there something I should know"

"He's a friend and a colleague, he spends a lot of time around here discussing work"

"With all due respect Mum, that's a pile of crap"

Grace frowned at her Daughters choice of language, and then smiled sweetly, "Friends Amber, we are just friends"

"Are you having sex with him, do we need to have a conversation about contraception"

"I don't know, do we?" Grace shot her daughter a questioning look

"What?"

"Are you and Jerome having sex" it was a conversation she'd been trying to broach with her daughter for sometime, Amber had been spending a lot of time with her boyfriend Jerome, he was the same age as her and they were in the same year at school, Grace was worried about how physical there relationship might have become.

"What are you on about"

"Simple enough question Amber, are you and Jerome having sex"

"No" she replied hesitantly

"You don't sound too sure"

"Of course I'm sure, I think I'd know"

"OK, next question, are you thinking about having sex"

"Are you?" Amber shot the question back at Grace

"Amber I'm trying to be serious"

"So am I, are you and Boyd thinking of having sex"

"No, now answer my question"

"I don't want to answer your question, it's too personal"

"Amber you're 15, and I if you are considering taking things further, then I want us to be able to talk about it"

"I don't want to talk about this" just then the doorbell rang and Amber jumped from her seat, "I'll get it" she said smiling at Grace who frowned at her daughter, "It's Boyd" she shouted over her shoulder, "I'm going now, bye Mum"

"Hi Amber, bye Amber" Peter said as she disappeared out of the door, "Morning Doc" he said as he walked into Grace's kitchen, Grace by now was frowning. "What's wrong with you, you've got a face like thunder"

"Do you want a teenage daughter" Grace asked him jokingly

"Sometimes I feel like I have one, oh and whilst we're on the subject, do you think she will ever use my Christian name" he replied smiling back at her, he took his jacket off and put it over the back of the chair before taking a seat next to Grace, and taking a sip of her coffee, "So what's wrong with said teenage daughter"

"Said teenage daughter is spending a lot of time with her boyfriend, I'm worried about how physical they're getting, I was trying to talk to her about it, but she evaded the subject, and then had the audacity to ask me if we were having sex"

Peter laughed out loud at that, "I hope you told her the truth, we're still at the heavy petting stage" he leant forward and kissed Grace softly on the lips, "Mind you, we don't have to be in work for an hour yet, so we could change that" he rubbed his nose against Grace's, and then kissed her again, this time making it more passionate, he stopped and pushed his chair back, taking Grace's hand he pulled her on to his lap, she put her arms around his neck and they continued to kiss passionately, his hand wandering up inside her top, and tracing patterns on her back, the feel of her soft skin against his fingers causing him to breathe sharply, his mouth moved to her neck, and now she breathed in sharply as his teeth grazed against her neck. "Take me to bed Grace" he whispered softly in her ear, in between soft kisses.

"We need to get to work, I have things to attend to" she replied to him

"I have something we could attend to first Grace" he whispered to her, his voice almost pleading, "We have the house to ourselves"

"I'd rather we waited, planned something a bit more intimate, this feels like a quickie because Amber's out"

"I promise you it won't be quick" he said with a naughty glint in his eye, "don't make me beg Grace" one of his hands began to gently move up Grace's inner thigh

Grace stood up and walked away from him, putting the dirty cups in the sink, she tried to change the subject, "So why aren't we needed in till late today"

"Is there a problem" Peter's voice was more serious

"A problem with what"

"I don't know, but every time we get intimate you seem to slam the breaks on, are you reluctant to take this any further"

"It's not that" Grace paused mid sentence

"We've been, how shall I put it" he thought for the correct word to use

"Heavy petting" Grace said using his earlier term, and smiling

He smirked at the term "For the want of a better phrase, heavy petting, for about six weeks, to say I am frustrated would be the understatement of the bloody century, I feel like a teenager"

"I'm sorry, it's not you..."

"Oh god here we go, the it's not you it's me conversation" He interrupted her before she could finish

"No Peter, it's not that, I mean that's not what I'm saying, I'm not avoiding you, it's just, I'm just nervous Peter, Ok there I've said it, I haven't had a partner for a while, and I'm nervous, I'm not some young girl who's happy to prance around with no clothes on, I'm 60 years old, and I am terrified at thought of you seeing me undressed"

Peter looked at her for a few moments, shocked by what she had said "I had no idea you felt like that, I am so sorry, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, but I am crazy about you, and the thought of you undressed gives me an erection"

"Peter!" Grace laughed at his words

"It's true" he smiled back at her, he walked over to her and gently pushed a loose strand of hair over her ear, "I want to feel you Grace, I want to kiss every inch of your body, I want to make you cum, and hold you in my arms as you fall asleep afterwards"

Grace blushed at his words, "That's an awful lot to fit into an hour" Grace took his hands and led him to the stairs, they were half way up when the front door opened and Amber walked into the hallway to see her mother leading Peter up the stairs, Grace turned a brighter shade of red, "What are you doing back"

"I left my purse behind, I had no money for the bus, shouldn't you two have left for work by now"

"We're working late today"

"Oh, Ok, I'm going then" Amber spoke quietly trying to hide her obvious embarrassment, she turned quickly and headed out of the front door

"Oh my god" Grace spoke slowly

Peter put his hands around her waist, buried his head into her back and laughed loudly, "Now I really do feel like a teenager"

"That's rather killed the mood"

"Just a bit"

"I'm sorry"

"Grace it's Ok, let's have a coffee" He said turning to descend the stairs.

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><p><strong><span>Well that's chapter 1, chapter 2 up in a couple of days if people like it.<span>**


	2. Work Life

Chapter 2, hope people are liking it, in case anyone finds it confusing, the reason behind sometimes calling him Boyd and sometimes Peter, is meant to reflect the difference between boyd and Grace's work and personal relationships.

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><p>Chapter 2 – Work Life<p>

Peter's car pulled into the car park and came to stop, Grace was in the passenger seat, they didn't normally ride to work together, but Grace's car was being serviced. As he took the keys from the ignition he turned to Grace, they couldn't be seen by anyone in the office, so he took a risk and put his arm across the passenger seat, his hand gently stroking her neck, "Come away with me for the weekend?"

"Slight problem with that suggestion, Amber."

"You're always going away to seminars, what do you normally do with her?"

"She's not a pet dog Peter, I don't leave the cat flap open and put out an extra tin of meat."

He smiled at that thought, "I didn't mean it like that, I just meant, where does she normally go when you're away."

"It depends where I am, she doesn't like staying in the house on her own, sometimes she stays with Frankie, sometimes she stays with my sister, but she doesn't get along with my sister very well."

"You leave you're impressionable teenage daughter with a workaholic forensic scientist who spends her spare time in the morgue?"

"Frankies a good influence on Amber, and Amber likes spending time with her, I also trust Frankie implicitly!"

"So see if Frankie's busy, I'll book us into a nice country hotel, we could leave Friday and come back Sunday, you said you would prefer our first time to be more intimate."

"What do I tell Frankie, the truth?"

"What ever you want to tell Frankie is fine by me."

"You said you wanted to keep things between us."

"Yeah well, I've changed my mind doc, I'm too bloody old to worry about other people's opinions."

Grace smiled at him "Ok, I'll speak to Frankie" she looked over her shoulder before leaning across and kissing him.

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><p>Inside the CCHQ DI Spencer Jordan, DS Mel Silver, and Dr Frankie Wharton sat around the table in the bullpen discussing the case that had landed on their doorstep over night, "Morning all" Boyd said as he walked through the door, followed by Grace, which caused the team to look at each other quizzically, "Before your little minds run away with you, Grace's car is being serviced and she asked me to pick her up this morning, anyone have a problem with that?"<p>

"Nope" Spence answered shaking his head, the others agreed quietly.

Boyd hung his jacket in his office and then returned to where the others were sat, "Ok, Frankie what have we got" he asked as Grace joined them at the table

"Umm, where do I start, Ok, the body of an unidentified male was found on some wasteland yesterday, he was a white male, about 50 years old, and had been beaten to death, he had several broken bones, and severe bruising, actual cause of death was a asphyxiation, caused by what looks like a trainer."

"So what, someone standing on his throat?"

"Yeah, or more likely just asserting pressure with the foot on the throat, rather than standing on it. He was bound up with ropes, and naked, but there was no signs of any sexual assault."

Boyd started to wave his hands around, willing Frankie to get to the point, or the point that had brought it to the attention of the CC team, "come on Frankie get to the point."

"I'm getting there, to try and get an ID they ran his DNA through the database, and although this didn't give them an ID on him, it did flag him up with the disappearance of 7 year old, Hannah Owens."

"Hannah Owens?" Boyd repeated the name willing himself to remember why it was familiar to him.

"Yeah you remember, little girl who disappeared from an adventure playground 5 years ago, she was found 2 weeks later, she had been raped and murdered, they found traces of semen on the body from 3 different men, and one of those traces belonged to this guy."

"So have they ID'd him yet?"

"Yes, he has now been identified as 50 year old Paul Akin, he lived in the Malton Park area, and get this, he was, until recently, a music teacher in a primary school, this is a picture of our man" Frankie held up a picture of an average looking man, white, balding, no distinguishing features, she placed the picture on the board.

"You said he **was** a music teacher?"

"Yes, he had recently been suspended amid allegations of sexual abuse, the school and police were investigating."

"OK, well thank you Frankie, Spence can you make a formal request for all the usual stuff on the case to be sent to us, Mel can you look up the school for me, find out where it is, and Grace and I will pay them a visit" Boyd looked around the room, "Where is Grace?" it had just come to his notice that Grace had left the briefing and returned to her office, closing the door behind her

Boyd walked away from the table and over to Grace's office, she was stood behind her desk facing away from the door, her arms folded, her eyes staring blankly, he knocked on the office door twice, but Grace didn't answer, her failure to flinch or move at the sound of him knocking led him to believe she had not even heard the sound, he proceeded to open the door, he closed it quietly behind him, and approached her, "Grace, you Ok?" again she did not respond, he put his hand out and gently touched her arm to bring her back from whatever place her mind had wandered to, she jumped slightly, "You Ok?" she looked at him, her eyes glazed slightly, but not actually crying "What is it Grace?"

"He was Amber's piano teacher, he taught music at the primary school she attended, and he gave her private piano lessons."

"Shit" Boyd then tried to cover his concern for Grace's sake, "Grace it doesn't mean anything, you know as well as anyone paedophiles don't abuse every child they come into contact with, how old was Amber at the time?"

"She was 7, he suggested the private tuition, he said Amber had an aptitude for it, she loved it at first, she was full of it, but then she changed, she cried, said she didn't want to go, she became clingy, wouldn't let me leave her with anyone, something changed in her at that time Peter, I didn't twig at the time, but it could have been those lessons, oh god, what if he's done something to Amber?"

Boyd put his arms around Grace and pulled her to him, just as he did the office door opened and Spencer walked in, "GET OUT!" he bellowed the words at his DI, who stopped dead, turned and left the office, "Listen to me Grace, we'll sort this, I promise, whatever has happened we'll sort it."

Grace pushed away from him, "How? how will we sort it? if he's abused my daughter, how can we sort it?" Boyd again tried to pull Grace to him, "No Boyd, I need to talk to my daughter."

"No Grace, stop, listen to me, let us deal with this, let us talk to Amber, it will be easier for her to talk to someone that's not so close to her, we'll bring her in here, but you can't interview her Grace!"

"How dare you tell me what I can and can't do, she's my daughter, this isn't about a bloody case, I want to know if someone's hurt her, I need to know if he's hurt my baby" her words broke slightly as she spoke.

"I know, and I understand, Grace I really do, but we need to think about what's best for Amber, let me get Mel and Spence to bring her in here, you can observe the interview, we'll get Mel to talk to her, she'll be able to relate to Mel better than anyone else" Grace eventually relented, and agreed to Boyd's suggestion, Boyd cupped Grace's face in his hands as he talked to her, "I'll brief the others Ok? you phone the school and explain that we need to pick Amber up, you don't need to tell them the reason why, just that we need to pick her up, Ok?" Grace nodded her agreement, and he rested his head against hers, "Everything will be Ok Grace."

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><p>Hope you like it, either way please leave a review.<p> 


	3. Reaching Out

**Chapter 3 – Reaching Out**

"Boyd walked into the lab, where Spence and Mel were discussing the case with Frankie, "Hi, Spence I'm sorry about just now, but Grace needed some privacy"

"No problem boss, is everything Ok"

"No, this guy Paul Akin was a teacher at the school attended by Grace's daughter Amber, he gave Amber private piano tuition when she was about 7, Grace is obviously very concerned that he had the opportunity to abuse Amber during those lessons, Grace has said that she noticed a distinct change in Amber's behaviour at the time, she became clingy, didn't like being left, hated school, she feels this could be a sign that she was being abused, I've managed to convince Grace to let us talk to Amber, so Mel, Spence if you could pick her up from the school and bring her back here, and then Mel if you could interview her, I think she may open up to you"

"Ok, no problem" Spence and Mel headed out straight away, leaving Boyd with Frankie, who looked visibly shaken by the information she'd just received

"You Ok Frankie"

"Umm Yeah I guess, just concerned for Grace, well and for Amber"

"Yeah Grace mentioned that you and Amber get on well"

"Did she"

"Just in passing"

"Obviously" Frankie replied with a knowing smile, "I stayed with Grace for a while when my flat got flooded, me and Amber just kind of clicked, she was interested in forensics, we used to sit and talk, or play computer games, sometimes she stays over at mine if Grace is away from home"

"Yeah she mentioned that"

"Did she? just in passing again" Frankie replied

"Yeah, just in passing" this time Boyd gave a knowing smile

"Grace says a lot in passing doesn't she"

"mmm, what do you make of Amber Frankie, does she seem troubled at all? I don't know her that well, but she just seems like a normal teenager to me"

"She's a good kid, she idolises Grace, always worried that she'll disappoint her or let her down, I think she wants to live up to Grace academically, I can't say that she seems troubled, but sometimes she drifts off"

"In what way"

"Just daydreaming I assume, I can't imagine that Grace wouldn't have picked up on it if she was showing any outward signs of having been abused, or any signs of depression"

"So why does the daydreaming bother you"

"I once got the impression that she wanted to tell me something, she was staying with me, and she was staring into space, and when I asked if she was Ok she looked a bit upset, but then she just clammed up again"

"You never pressed the matter"

"No, she's a teenager, I thought she was just a bit hormonal, and it never happened again"

"Ok, thanks Frankie"

At High Meade comprehensive school Mel and Spence walked through the main doors and headed to reception, a group of teenage boys walked past eyeing up Mel, one of them wolf whistled, and Spence stared at them angrily, "calm down Spence, their just kids"

"They're not just kids Mel, they're teenage boys, look at them, they're like a pack of wolves"

"Easy Spence, you were one once, you're starting to sound like Boyd" she smiled back at him

Spence smiled at Mel's words, "God there's no hope for me is there"

"Probably not, you have been working with the man for far too long" as they approached the reception desk they both flashed there warrant cards, and Mel spoke to the secretary, "Hi I'm DS Silver and this is DI Jordan, we've come to collect Amber Foley, I believe you were informed we were coming"

"Yep, Amber's waiting in the head teacher's office for you" they were shown through to the heads office where Amber was sat on a chair looking worried, Mel put her hand on Amber's shoulder

"Hey you Ok"

"No, what's this about, is my Mum Ok" Amber remained seated as she looked up at Mel, her eyes were glazed, tears threatening to cascade from them at any moment

"Yeah she's fine, we just need to have a chat with you about something, and it's easier to do it at the office"

"Oh god my Mum's been hurt hasn't she"

Mel stooped down so she was level with Amber's face "No I promise you nothing is wrong with your Mum, she is at the office and she is fine, she was just too busy to come and get you herself, Ok, shall we go"

Amber nodded in agreement and then followed them to the car.

Back at CC HQ Amber was shown straight into an interview room before Grace was even made aware of her presence, it wasn't until she saw Mel she realised they had returned, "Mel where is she?"

"Boyd told me to put her in the interview room"

"Is she Ok?"

"She's more worried about you than anything else Grace"

"What, why?"

"We've picked her up from school in the middle of the day and brought her to the office, she thinks something has happened to you"

"Oh god I never thought of that"

"It's Ok, we've set her straight on that score, I'm just getting her a drink and then I'm going to start the interview" Mel said holding up a can of coke

In the interview observation room Boyd stood watching Amber, he'd never taken much notice of her before, in all the time he'd spent with Grace, Amber wasn't usually around, Grace preferred it that way, of course he knew her, the entire team knew her, because although Grace didn't like her coming to the office, just in case she saw something unpleasant, sometimes it had been unavoidable. When she was younger there had been a couple of occasions when she had slept on the couch in Grace's office whilst they worked late into the evening, Boyd had even carried her to the car for Grace when they finished work, but that didn't mean he knew her, she was always pleasant when there paths had crossed, and she'd always seemed cheerful and at times even cheeky, but then she was Grace's daughter, why wouldn't she be all of those things and more.

Boyd was brought back from his thoughts by Mel opening the door to the room, she was followed by Grace, Mel put an earpiece in so that she could be given instructions from outside, and then headed into interview room. Grace sat in the observation room with Boyd, the worry clearly visible in her eyes and on her face, neither of them knew what they were about to hear, and Boyd couldn't even begin to understand what was going through her mind, he wanted to comfort her, but he knew that wasn't what she wanted right now, Amber was sat at a table, biting her nails, Mel handed her the drink she'd got her, and then sat down opposite her. She placed a manilla file on the table, and was about to speak, when Amber spoke first

"Mel have I done something wrong?"

"Not that I'm aware of, do you think you've done something wrong?"

"No, but I don't understand what all this is about"

"Well let me try and explain, we're investigating someone that we think you may have come into contact with, and we just wanted to ask you about that person, and how well you knew them"

"Is my Mum watching, I know about the observation room, Mum showed me round once before"

Boyd spoke into Mel's ear, "Tell her she's not being watched, it's just an informal chat" Grace looked at Boyd confused, "She's more likely to talk if she thinks no ones listening, you know that better than I do" she looked away again, concentrating on Amber

"No, no ones listening, it's just you and me, Ok?" Amber nodded her head, Mel removed the photo of Akin from the file, "Can you tell me if you know this man" a very slight but noticeable difference could be seen in Amber's facial expression, she shook her head.

"No, I don't know him"

"His name is Paul Akin, is that name familiar to you" Again she shook her head indicating no

In the observation room Grace spoke without turning her head to look at Boyd, "She's lying"

"She might not be, she was only 7 at the time, maybe she doesn't remember"

"Remember me telling you how Mel touches her ear when she lies, Amber chews her lip when she lies"

Boyd looked into the room and Grace was right, Amber was chewing the edge of her lip, he spoke to Mel, "Mel she's lying, Grace can tell she's lying"

Mel spoke again after hearing the voice in her earpiece, "Is there anything you're frightened of Amber, you know it's Ok to tell me if you knew him"

"I don't"

"I think you're lying"

"and I think you are" Amber said to Mel

"Ok, in what way do you think I'm lying" Mel asked her

"You told me my Mum wasn't watching"

"Why would I lie about that"

"I don't know, but my Mum is the only person I know who can tell straight away if I'm lying"

"So you are lying" Amber started to fidget slightly on her chair, "Do you remember him Amber?"

"Yeah, he was my piano teacher for a while, when I was in primary school"

"Why didn't you say straight away that you knew him" Amber responded by shrugging her shoulders, "How did you get on with him"

"I don't remember I was only 7"

"Did you like the lessons?"

"Not much"

"Why not?"

"I wasn't very good at it I guess"

"Amber I want you to think very carefully about my next question Ok, did anything ever happen during those lessons or during your time at school with Mr Akin that made you feel uncomfortable?"

Amber again fidgeted on her chair, this time she didn't speak she just shook her head to indicate no

"Amber, no one is angry with you, and you haven't done anything wrong, but we need to know if Mr Akin did anything that you weren't happy about"

Amber stood up from her chair and walked towards the door "I don't want to talk about this any more, I want to go home" before Amber even touched the door it opened from the other side, and Boyd walked in

"Hi Amber, could you come and sit back down please" he ushered Amber back to her seat, and pulled up a chair to the side of her, facing her, "Do you mind if I talk to you for a minute" Amber remained silent, "I realise that this is difficult for you, not least because this is your Mum's work place and we are her colleagues, unfortunately these questions need to be asked, but if there is anything that we can do to make that any easier for you then we will, would it be easier for you to talk to a stranger, we could arrange for a social worker or another police officer, or would you prefer to speak to your Mum. The only reason she isn't in here now is because I felt you would find it easier to talk to someone not as close to you, but if you would rather talk to your Mum then that's fine" Amber shook her head to indicate that she did not want to talk to Grace, "So do you want to continue talking to Mel, or me or someone different"

"Mel is fine" her words were whispered and soft

"Ok, well I'll go and leave you to it, and if you need anything, you just ask, Ok" Amber nodded her head, Boyd gave her a reassuring smile, "you're gonna be fine, I promise" he said before getting up and leaving the room

He walked back into the observation room to find Grace crying, her face buried into her hands, the realisation that her daughter had been a victim of this sick bastard was already hitting home, he knelt down beside her and pulled her to him, this time she didn't pull away, she put her hands around him and clung on for dear life, "I meant what I said Grace, Amber's going to be fine, I'll make sure of it, we'll get her all the help she needs, and we'll both be there for her, Ok" he kissed the top of her head "I promise you Grace"

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><p>Next chapter ready and waiting, please review so I know you like it. Sarah<p> 


	4. Amber's Words

**Chapter 4 - Amber's Words**

As Boyd left the room, Amber opened the can of drink in front of her and took a swig, "You Ok" Mel asked her

She nodded her head in response, her mood had changed, she had become sombre and quiet, her eyes were fixed on the table, and she swallowed before starting to talk

"He was nice to me when I was at school, always let me sit on the stool at the piano, but I couldn't reach, so he used to sit me on his lap, I guess looking back that was the first time he ever touched me, I don't mean intimately, I mean just the first time he had any physical contact with me, it was nice, I've never had a Dad, or Brothers or Uncles or Grandparents, so I wasn't used to being around Men, the only men I came into contact with were at school, or Mum's colleagues, but they never came to our house or anything. He got me interested in the piano, told Mum I was good at it, even though, looking back I don't think I was, but I liked the attention, so when Mum said I could have private lessons I was happy, at first Mum stayed during the lessons, but after the first couple she started dropping me off and picking me up afterwards, it was his suggestion, he said I would concentrate more if she wasn't there, I guess Mum trusted him because he was my teacher, it started happening the first time she left me"

In the observation room Grace sat and listened to every word Amber said, how the abuse began, what he had done, Boyd held her hand the entire time, but they sat in silence, no words could make Grace feel any better, in her mind she was torturing herself with every if only she could think of, if only she hadn't let her have lessons, if only she hadn't left her alone with him, if only she hadn't sent her to that school, if only, if only, if only, there were so many of them, but they didn't matter, because that sick bastard groomed her little girl, and then abused her, and she let it happen.

As the interview ended, Mel had tears in her eyes, she didn't know what to say to Amber, yet Amber seemed to stay strong, Mel stood up from the table, "Why don't I get your Mum eh, I'm sure she'll be glad to see you"

"No Mel, I don't want to see my Mum"

"What, Why not"

"I can't, please don't make me" Amber got up from her seat and retreated to the back wall of the room

"Hey Amber, it's Ok, no ones gonna make you do anything you don't want to, I promise" Mel tried to comfort Amber, who was becoming a little wound up, "Please I can't face her"

"What do you think she'll do"

"I don't know" Mel put her arms around Amber and tried to hug her

"Hey it's Ok" Mel tried to sooth away Ambers fears, "It's Ok, your Mum loves you very much, and she just wants a chance to show you how much she loves you"

"She'll hate me now"

"What, no, Amber no, you are not to blame, you were seven years old, and your Mum knows that better than any one, she loves you, she doesn't know how to hate you, she'll be upset, but that's because she'll feel that she didn't protect you or look after you enough, but she could never hate you"

"She did look after me, it's not her fault"

"I know Amber, but it isn't yours either"

In the observation room Grace could hear the conversation between Amber and Mel, she was stunned and routed to the spot, the thought that her little girl didn't want to see her was heartbreaking, "Grace, Grace" it took a couple of tries for Boyd to bring her back to earth, "I think it's time you went in, don't you" Grace turned towards him, unable to form words, "She needs you Grace"

Mel heard the door behind her open, and turned to see Grace walking in, at this point Amber started to sob loudly, her nose running profusely, Mel let go of Amber and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her, Boyd still stood watching from the observation room, as Mel came out he put his hand on her shoulder, "Well done Mel, I know that wasn't easy" she smiled back at him half heartedly, truth be told, she didn't feel proud of what she'd just done, yes it had to be done, and yes she had done it, but she didn't feel proud.

Amber still stood against the back wall of the interview room, her eyes red and puffy, her nose running, she was crying so much she couldn't hardly speak, "I'm sorry Mum" she blurted out

Grace rushed forward and took her daughter in her arms, "What are you sorry for"

"Because I let him, I let him do those things, and I never told you, I was so ashamed"

"My darling, it's not your fault, you are a victim, you didn't let him do this, he abused you, and you have nothing to feel ashamed of, I love you so much Amber Leigh, and we're gonna get you through this" Amber sobbed against her Mum's shoulder, and it was all Grace could do to stay on her feet, her heart ached, but she needed to be strong for Amber.

In the observation room, Boyd watched them for a few minutes, before leaving the room so they could have some privacy.

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><p><strong>Another chapter done, please review, the next few chapters are ready to go, will post again in a few days<strong>


	5. Not Alone

**Chapter 5 – Not Alone**

Grace and Amber eventually left the interview room and headed to Grace's office, Amber was staying out of the way, she didn't really want to see or speak to anyone.

As Grace walked past Boyd's office door she heard him call her name, "GRACE" he bellowed in his usual manor, Grace put her head around the door frame, "where's Amber?" he asked at a slightly quieter level

"She's sitting in my office"

Boyd rose from his seat and walked towards Grace, he beckoned her into his office "Why don't we call it a day, I'll drive you and Amber home, and we'll get a take away or something"

Grace nodded in agreement, "Yeah I must admit I don't really feel like being here now"

"Grace, I meant what I said earlier, I want take care of you both, we'll get Amber whatever help she needs, and I'm gonna be by your sides the whole time, I promise"

Grace put her hand to Boyd's face "I know you mean it, and I really am glad I've got you. I need to go to the ladies, and then we'll go yeah"

"Ok" he replied winking at her before she walked away

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><p>In the ladies room Grace could hear crying, as she rounded the corner she could see Frankie with her arms around Mel trying to comfort her, "is everything Ok" she asked, knowing full well what was causing Mel's distress<p>

"Oh shit, Grace I'm so sorry, I didn't want you to see me like this, you have enough to put up with" Mel said pulling away from Frankie's embrace she fled past Grace and back out of the toilets, leaving Frankie and Grace standing there

"Is she ok"

Frankie sighed heavily before speaking, "She's just a bit upset"

"Yeah I picked up on that" Grace said with a small smile

Frankie smiled back at her slightly, "It's like she feels that she's to blame just because she interviewed Amber, like she's taken the lid off this big can of worms and now you and Amber are left to pick up the pieces"

"She was fantastic with her, she was gentle and caring, she didn't push her, everything I would have asked her to be if it was some random person she was interviewing"

"But it wasn't some random person, it was Amber, she's like the department mascot, I know she's not here often, but she's kind of always around us, because you always talk about her, how she's doing at school, who she's dating, what music she likes, whether she's happy or if your worried about her, it's a standard part of Monday morning to have an Amber update, and as for me, I feel like she's a little sister, when she stays over we have such a great time, and it hasn't sunk in yet, then there's you, you're our friend, our colleague, the steadying voice that knows the right thing to say whenever we need reassurance or comfort, and now you need us to say the right words, but we don't know what they are" Frankie gave another large sigh as she stopped speaking, she wasn't crying or sad, she was more angry, and she sat on the floor leaning her back against the wall before she continued to speak "It makes me feel so angry that people think they can hurt someone, that they can look at a beautiful little girl and see her as a sexual object, as if she's nothing, as if she doesn't matter, they just use her for there own perversions and she's left feeling ashamed and confused, and as though she's done something wrong, unable to comprehend that this wasn't her fault because she doesn't even know what sex is, let alone whether it's wrong, she's just left feeling dirty, and no matter how many times she baths she never feels clean, inside her always feels dirty, dirty and ashamed with this secret hanging over her like like a big black cloud that's always threatening to rain, but it doesn't rain, it just stays black forever" Frankie stopped speaking realising that she was ranting and had started to say too much

Grace stooped down and placed her hand on Frankie's knee, "Who was it?" she said quietly Frankie stared at her, keeping eye contact for just moments before looking away, "Who Frankie?" Frankie seemed unable to speak she just looked at Grace with a puzzled expression on her face, Grace placed her hand on Frankie's face and held her so she couldn't look away, "You've never told anyone have you" Frankie continued to just stare at her, hearing Grace's words, but somehow unable to respond to the questions

"I need to get on Grace" Frankie got to her feet and started to wash her hands in one of the basins, franticly scrubbing them with soap and red hot water, Grace put her hands over Frankie's to stop her

"Frankie, It's Ok to say it" Frankie stopped momentarily before pulling her hands away and running out of the toilets, Grace wanted to go after her, but she also knew that Amber needed her, and as selfish as it sounded, Amber's need was greater, she headed back to her office to get Amber, and go home, deciding to call Frankie later.

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><p>Not sure if people are still enjoying this as am not getting many reviews, none on the last chapter, will keep going as am up to chapter 8 now. Please review and let me know if you want me to continue.<p> 


	6. Here When You Need Me

**Chapter 6 – Here when you need me, Gone when you don't**

Peter Boyd pressed the button on the key that unlocked his car, he then opened the back door for Amber to get in, "Put the seatbelt on" he told her as she got in, not in an authoritarian way, more in a caring father figure way. He closed the door after she got in, and then opened the door for Grace

"Ever the gentleman" she commented

"Shut up and get in" he said back to her causing her to smile. He drove off, putting the stereo on and trying to find something decent to listen to that wasn't going to offend any one else in the car, he settled on classic FM, he checked to see if Amber was Ok in the back of the car, but she was just staring out of the window, "So what do you want to eat then, do you want to get a take away or get some shopping in and cook"

"Umm, I don't mind really, Amber what do you fancy"

"I'm not really hungry at the moment, I'll just have some of whatever you have"

"Well lets just go home and we can get a take away later, Ok?"

"Yeah that's fine with me" Peter agreed, "I'm just gonna stop and get some cash Ok" he stopped at an ATM that just happened to be near an off license, he reappeared with a bag containing bottles that he stashed in the boot. He pulled the car onto Grace's driveway and they all got out, remembering to grab the bag from the boot he then locked the car, once inside the house he and Grace went straight through to the kitchen.

"Do you want a coffee" Grace asked whilst shaking the kettle to see if it was full

"Or we could open one of these" he said removing a couple of bottles of red wine from the bag

"That would really hit the spot" she said grabbing a couple of glasses from a cupboard and handing them to him

A voice from the other room suddenly spoke, "Mum I'm going upstairs" Grace heard the footsteps ascending the stairs before she could respond

"How's she doing" Peter asked, knowing it sounded like a stupid question, Grace walked into the sitting room and sat down, Peter followed carrying the wine and glasses, he handed Grace a glass and sat down next to her, putting the bottle on the floor within reach.

"I have no idea, she cried for a while, now she's clammed up again, I'll leave her for a while and then I'll go and check on her"

"And what about you, how are you doing" his hand stroked down the side of her face as he asked the question

"I don't know, part of me wants to shout and scream, part of me wants to cry, and part of me wants to hold her in my arms and never let her go again, the trouble is I know none of those things will be what she wants or what she needs"

"So do we need to get her professional help, someone she can talk to"

"Yeah, I'll find someone who specialises in that area"

"Do you know anyone personally"

"No one that springs to mind, I'll have to look into it"

"You know if you need to cry, I don't mind, you've had a pretty shit day"

"It won't do any good though will it"

"I thought you said keeping everything in wasn't good"

Grace leant her head back against the sofa and just looked into his eyes, he continued to stroke her face with the back of his hand, he desperately wanted to kiss her, but didn't want her to think him insensetive

"Kiss me" she asked him in the end, he leant over and obliged her willingly, his lips brushing slowly and tenderly against hers, she raised her hand to his neck and deepened the kiss, her soft tongue warm against his own, as she closed her eyes she tried to blot out the events of such a horrible day, eventually he pulled away, and rested his forehead against hers

"I love you Doc" he said, his dark eyes almost reaching into her soul as they held her gaze

"I love you too" she replied, tears began to gently trickle down her cheeks, "I'm sorry" she said before getting up from the sofa, she was about to walk away when she felt his hand grab hers , he pulled her back

"Hey don't be silly, come here, don't run away, it's Ok to cry" his words were soft and soothing as he held her in his arms whilst she sobbed her heart out for the second time in a day

Eventually she stopped and pulled away from him, "I'm sorry"

"What for"

She wiped her eyes with her hands "I should check on Amber"

"Ok, I'm not going anywhere"

Grace walked quietly up the stairs to Amber's bedroom door, and knocked, "Amber you Ok"

"Yeah" the voice came from inside the room, Grace opened the door slowly and walked in, Amber was sat on her bed watching TV, Grace sat beside her, and rubbed Ambers leg affectionately "I'm Ok Mama" Amber only usually used the term Mama when she was in trouble

"I know this sounds stupid coming from me, but I don't know what to say or do, I don't know how to make this better, I want to just pick you up and hold you, like when you were little, you were like a little koala bear, you used to cling onto me, wouldn't let anyone else pick you up, and wouldn't let me put you down" Grace's voice crackled with emotion, and Amber put her arms around her

"It'll be Ok Mama, promises" when she was little she always used to say promises instead of promise, and she still said it now as joke between the two of them

Grace pulled away from Amber and smiled at her "Will you promise me just one thing?"

"Yeah of course, if I can"

"If you want to talk, about this or about anything else, you'll talk, not necessarily to me, to anyone, I mean I'd prefer it to be me, but if not then find someone else to talk to, a teacher or a friend, or even Peter if you like, but please don't bottle things all up, tell us when things are hurting you"

"I can't talk to you about this Mum, it feels too...I don't know what it feels like, just too personal, like it's just wrong"

"I know, it's Ok, I'm not hurt that you don't want to talk to me about it"

"Mum, who's Peter" Amber said with a smile

Grace stood to leave "you hungry yet?"

"Nah, I'm Ok"

"We're gonna order something a bit later, I'll call you down"

"Ok, I love you Mum"

"I love you too" Grace pulled the door up behind her, and leant back against it, she sighed deeply, willing this shitty day to hurry up and end.

After her Mother had left the room Amber lay on her bed and curled herself into a ball, she wanted to hide from the world, everyone wanted her to talk, and all she wanted to do was hide, ignore it, hope it would go away, and that it wouldn't be there at the back of her mind every day.

Grace descended the stares and walked back into the lounge to find Peter had put some music on and was now sat in an arm chair, he put his wine on the floor

"Come here" he motioned with his head for her to join him in the arm chair, so she sat on his lap, her legs over the arm of the chair, and her head resting on his shoulder

She gave another heavy sigh, "what a day"

"It's not been good has it, but things will get better, back to normal"

"A lot of people never get over being sexually abused, it haunts them for the rest of their lives, causes depression, anxiety, nightmares, all sorts of mental health issues"

"But they haven't got a top psychologist for a Mum, and more importantly they haven't got you, you have a great relationship with Amber, that's got to mean something"

"Maybe, maybe not"

"Grace this is day one, everything is raw and open, you're hurting, Amber's hurting, and neither of you know what to do to help the other, it's like anything, it will get easier, and I'm gonna stay right here, helping you both every step of the way, in what ever way I can"

"Thank you, I do appreciate all your support, I know it's been difficult, I mean you don't even know Amber that well"

"No, but if we're gonna make a go of this relationship then that's something I need to rectify"

"That'll be fun for you" Grace smiled against his shoulder

"Oh thank you Doc" he replied laughing, "I can be cool, sometimes"

"Mmm, yeah I'm sure you can"

They sat and cuddled for most of the evening, ordering a pizza which Amber helped them eat, before they knew it, it was nearly midnight, Grace was still sat on Peter's lap, she stifled a yawn

"You sound tired darling"

"Yeah I am a bit"

"I should call a taxi, let you get to bed"

"How you gonna get to work in the morning?"

"I'll get a taxi, you can drive my car to the office, hey presto"

"Or, you could stay over" Peter raised his eyebrows at the suggestion, "Woah, easy tiger, I just meant keep me company, not sex"

"Well it's still the best offer I've had in a while"

"Good I'll leave you to lock up then"

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><p>Thanks for the reviews, feel free to leave some more, hope you're enjoying this<p> 


	7. A Cry In The dark

**Chapter 7 – A cry in the dark**

Grace undressed and slipped into some pyjamas before Peter even got into the bedroom, he turned out the lights as he made his way up the stairs, he knocked quietly on Grace's bedroom door, not wanting to walk in on her changing, Grace opened the bedroom door to let him in before slipping between the covers, Peter undressed down to his boxer shorts and slipped in bed beside her, he instantly slipped his hands around Grace's waist and pulled her close to him, he kissed her passionately and then settled down with her in his arms, "Night" he said kissing her forehead

"Night" she replied snuggling into his embrace, she lifted her head and kissed him on the lips, as she pulled away she looked into his eyes, seeing a mixture of lust and want in them, she kissed him again, this time her tongue pushed it's way into his mouth, her hand snaked around his neck and pulled him with her as she rolled onto her back, so that he was partially on top of her, his kiss became harder, his eyes fluttered shut, his hand moved to the bottom of her pyjama top and then slid underneath, continuing until he found her breast, his first touch was soft, his hand merely stroking the soft mound of skin, his thumb rubbing over her nipple, toying with it until he felt it harden. He pulled his mouth away from hers

"Grace don't start something you can't finish"

"You talk too much Peter"

Grace sat up and pulled her top over her head, and his mouth immediately devoured one of her breasts, sucking on it gently, his teeth grazing her nipple, and his tongue flicking over it, his hand sought out the other breast and massaged it, his hands then moved to her pyjama bottoms, hooking his thumbs under the waistband and lowering them, Grace then kicked them off herself, his hand moved down her stomach, revelling in the touch of her soft skin, until he felt the small area of curls that he was looking for, his hand moved to her inner thigh, parting them he began to explore her further, hearing her breathing becoming more erratic with each touch, groaning softly as he stroked her with his thumb, gently applying pressure to her sensative nub, she fought to control herself as he dipped two of his fingers inside her and curled them up with expert precision, and all the time his shorts becoming tighter as he grew harder, Grace managed to regain enough of her senses to lift his shorts over the growing bulge, and place her hand around his shaft, he took a sharp breath as she touched him, sliding her hand up and down his length until he put his hand over hers to stop her, he moved his mouth back to hers and kissed her forcefully, as he did he moved on top of her, using his knee to nudge her legs apart, he slid himself into her, he felt her lift her back off the bed slightly giving him better access, he moved his mouth to her ear and began to suck and nip her neck as he thrust himself in and out of her, "I love you Grace" he whispered to her as they continued to make love, Grace had lost the ability to speak, she just moaned against his skin, trying desperately to keep the noise down, but she felt as if every part of her was on fire, and the closer she got to her release the louder the moans, he covered her mouth with his realising that she didn't want them to be overheard, she gently dug her nails into his back as she came, and waited just a couple of minutes for him to cum, as he slumped down against her, he continued to kiss her, he rolled onto his side and continued to hold her tightly, neither of them spoke they just kissed and held each other, within half an hour he could hear her breathing even out, and he realised that she was asleep in his arms, he couldn't think of anything more perfect and it wasn't long before he too was asleep.

"MUM, MUM, HELP ME"

Grace woke to the shouts from her daughter, she jumped out of bed and grabbed her robe, looking as Peter jumped out too, "Stay here, it's probably just a nightmare" he nodded his head in agreement, still half asleep

Grace opened her bedroom door to see Amber stood outside the bathroom, she rushed to comfort her, "What's wrong, you Ok?"

"No, there's a big spider on my bedroom ceiling" Amber said sobbing

"What?"

"There's a big spider in my bedroom, right above my bed"

Grace tried to suppress the smile creeping over her face, "Bloody hell Amber, I thought you were hurt or having a nightmare"

"I am having a bloody nightmare, there's a tarantula on my ceiling"

"Yeah Ok, calm down" Grace opened the door to Amber's room, and spotted the large hairy black spider on the ceiling

None to fond of spiders herself, and owing to the fact that she couldn't reach it, she turned to Amber "Peter's still here, he stayed over, with me I mean"

"Whatever, I don't care, can you just get rid of the spider"

"No but I know a man who can" she replied winking at Amber, she returned to her own room and closed the door behind her

"Is she Ok?"

"We have a slight problem, are you any good at catching spiders" Peter pulled a face at Grace, and then pulled on his trousers, he walked out of the bedroom and saw Amber pacing anxiously on the landing, he went into Ambers room and removed the arachnoid intruder from the ceiling, before opening the door with it in some tissue, and flushing it down the toilet

"What if it comes back up again" Amber said after he'd flushed it away

"It'd have to be a bloody good swimmer" he replied to her

"You sure" she asked him

He put his hand on the side of her tear stained face, sensing that the spider was simply the icing on the cake of a very bad day for Amber, "It's gone, and it's not coming back Ok, you want me to make sure there's no more?" his voice was soft, not something Grace heard him use very often, but she sensed he had a soft spot for Amber

Amber nodded her head to him, and he went back into her room, he checked in all the corners and on the window, and under the bed, before opening the door again "It's all clear, you need anything else" she shook her head, but she was still reluctant to go back into her room, so he held the door open and took her hand, escorting her back to her bed, he put the lamp on and turned the main light out for her, once she was in bed he sat on the edge of her bed, "If you need anything else I'm just over there, I know I'm not your Mum, and I'm not very good at emotions and girlie stuff, but I'm good for spiders, bugs and wasps, and stuff that Mum's aren't good at" he gently moved her hair off her face with his hand

"Thank you" she said quietly

"You're very welcome Amber, get some sleep" he kissed the top of her head, "Night night, you want me to leave the door open?"

"No, it's fine closed"

Grace stood in the doorway of her own bedroom, listening to Peter and Amber's conversation, as he returned to her bedroom, "She's fine Grace, she's back in bed"

"Thank you"

"It was just a spider"

"I'm not talking about the spider"

"Oh, Ok" he got back into bed and Grace again curled up in his arms

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><p>Hope you're still enjoying it, please leave a review and thanks for all those who already have.<p> 


	8. A New Day

**Thanks to those who hve reviewed,**** hope you like this next installment****, please feel free to leave a review all comments greatfully received.**

**Chapter 8 – A New Day**

Peter woke early, Grace was still asleep in bed next to him, no longer in his embrace, he got out of bed gently so as not to wake her, taking his clothes with him, he headed to the bathroom, and showered and dressed, emerging as the usual smart and pristine Boyd that everyone knew. He then went to the kitchen, he put the kettle on and made himself a coffee, he'd been sat at the kitchen table about 15 minutes when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, Amber appeared in the doorway, still in her pyjamas and bathrobe, "Morning" he said to her

"Morning Boyd"

"It's Peter"

"What?" she replied

"My first name, its Peter"

"Yeah I know"

"So why do you insist on calling me Boyd"

"I dunno, you've always been Boyd, it's like expecting me to start calling Mum by her first name, it just doesn't feel right, is it a problem"

"Not in the grand scheme of things I guess"

"Does that mean no"

He smiled she was still as cheeky as ever, and had Grace's sarcasm down to a T, He just smiled at her and nodded his head, "Do you want a cup of tea or anything"

"No, I'm cool with Juice" she said taking the carton from the fridge, and sitting at the table opposite him, "So, you gonna be staying over more often then?"

"That's up to your Mum"

"That'll be a yes then"

"You think so"

"Yeah, she likes you a lot"

"Is that Ok?"

"As long as you don't mess her around, or hurt her"

"I wouldn't do that"

"Cool, the last bloke she went out with was a prick" Boyd faked a look of shock at Amber's choice of language, "What? he was a prick, he didn't like me"

"What and that makes him a prick, because he didn't like you?"

"No, he's a prick because he gave Mum a black eye"

"What?"

"She didn't tell you did she, I don't think she told anyone"

"When was that?"

"A couple of years ago, don't tell her I told you, I just want you to understand that she may seem really strong, but she isn't, she's vulnerable" Boyd smiled at Amber's words, "Did I say something funny?"

"No, not at all, you just sound like your mother"

"Do I? That's probably not a good thing is it?"

"I don't know! I'm gonna take your Mum a coffee"

"Bad Move Boyd"

"Is it?"

"Tea, not coffee, she always drinks tea in the mornings"

"Ok, thanks for the tip, I'll make her a cup of tea, shouldn't you be getting ready for school?"

"No, Mum says I'm not going in for a few days, I think she wants me to see a shrink"

"I think she wants you to see a counsellor, to help you talk about anything that you want to talk about"

"You mean about the stuff that came out yesterday"

Boyd nodded his head, trying not to get deep with Amber, he felt he didn't know her enough for that, "Yeah about that stuff"

Boyd opened the door to Grace's bedroom to find her still fast asleep, he put the cup of tea on the bedside table and then sat on the edge of her bed watching her sleep, it gave him a warm glow inside just to be able to watch her sleep, he lent forward and gently kissed her on the lips, causing her to stir gently, "Morning sleepy head" he said

"Morning, what time is it?" she said whilst stretching

"It's 7.30"

Grace sat up sharply, "Shit, I need to get ready for work, why didn't you wake me?" she said, pulling the duvet around her when she remembered she was naked

"You looked tired"

"Well that could be down to you, it's been a while since my night time has been so active" she replied

"Well you need to preserve your energy then, cos I feel a repeat performance maybe on the cards in the not to distant future" he kissed her as he finished the sentence

"God I hope so" she replied blushing slightly, "I need to get ready for work though"

"Take the day off, look after Amber"

"We need to work on the case"

"We'll cope with out you"

"I know you'll cope, but we need to solve this one"

"Take the morning off then"

"You sure?"

"Yeah, Amber might think she's tough, but I think deep down, she needs you Grace, she's vulnerable, just like her Mum" he kissed her again, slowly and softly, "Drink your tea" he said as he stood to leave the room, "I'll see you later" Grace just nodded her head to him


	9. Developements

Sorry it has taken a while to update this one, I have been working on all my other fics, will try and keep this one up to date, as always please review.

**Chapter 9 – Developements**

Boyd walked through the bullpen to see Spencer and Mel hard at work, he'd been home and changed his shirt and suit, so as not to give away the fact that he'd not been home, "Morning boss" Spence said on seeing him

"Morning Spence, Mel, how we doing"

"We have another body, it turned up on a canal tow path"

"Connected how?"

"Same M.O, Frankie's at the scene now, we got the call first thing"

"Why the hell didn't you call me"

"We thought that...well I thought that you...I made the decision to deal with it"

"You thought what Spence" Boyd was shouting at his DI

Spencer looked at Mel, unsure what to say, he knew what he'd thought, what they'd all thought for weeks now, that Boyd and Grace had become closer than colleagues, "I thought that you might be with Grace, that she needed your support, personally I mean, more than we did on the case"

"Oh really, and who gave you the right to make that decision, or indeed to make assumptions about myself and Dr Foley"

"Make assumptions about you and Dr Foley, for gods sake man, she has just found out that her daughter was sexually abused, I wasn't making assumptions about anything except that a member of our team, our friend may need support, and that you, being the man in charge of this team may have been the one to offer that support, that, aside from the fact that you are clearly in love with the woman, gave me the right to make that assumption, and my rank gave me the right to make that decision" Spencer's words silenced Boyd, who walked out of the office and headed to the place he always went when he was in the wrong, when he needed to think, to the roof, he lent against the wall that guarded the edge of the roof top, and looked out over London, he'd been there a short while when he heard the door open and close behind him, he didn't turn to see who it was, knowing full well Spence always found him up here when he was thinking, "Boss" Spence spoke in a more civil tone, and when Boyd didn't respond he walked over to where he was leaning and leant against the wall next to him, "I was out of order, I'm sorry"

Boyd looked at him, "No, you were right, I just didn't realise I was that transparent"

"In what regard?"

"Grace. I am in love with her, I'm not good with personal stuff Spence, I try to keep it all away from this place because I have this bloody awful track record with women, and Grace means so much more to me than any one ever has, and I don't want to ruin things, I want to spend the rest of my life with her, and the thought of anything getting in the way of that makes me feel physically sick"

"What about Amber, does she get in the way"

"No she doesn't, they're a package, I fully understand that, I wouldn't want it any other way, I love them both, and I just want to take care of them, I don't think I realised just how much I want that until you just gave me that little lecture, you were right by the way, I was with Grace, I stayed over last night, I told Grace to take today off, but she refused, said she'll come in this afternoon"

"You got it bad boss" Spence responded jovially, it was the only way he knew how to be when Boyd was being serious about him self

"Yeah I know Spence, shall we get back to work"

"I think we should"

o0o

"Amber hurry up, we're going to be late" Grace shouted up the stairs of her home, Amber was taking an eternity to get ready for the appointment she had made for her, Grace knew she was dragging her heels on purpose, she'd had to phone around to get this appointment at such short notice with the therapist that had been recommended to her by a friend, the last thing she wanted to do was turn up late. Just then she heard foot steps on the stairs, Amber came down wearing jeans and a t-shirt, she still didn't have her shoes or socks on. "What are you doing, put your shoes on"

"I don't want to"

"What, why not?"

"Because I don't, this appointment is what you want Mum, not what I want"

Grace sat down on the sofa and patted the seat next to her for Amber to sit down, "Why don't you want to go" Amber shrugged her shoulders in typical teenage style, "Amber it is really important for you to talk about what has happened, not for me, for you, to help you carry on with your life, if you don't deal with it now, it won't go away, it will just get harder to deal with, and one day you'll turn around and realise that it's affecting every aspect of your life, restricting you from being the person that you want to be, the person you could be, and I don't want to see that happen to you, not just because I'm your Mum and I love you, but because I have seen people that don't get the opportunity to deal with these things, people who don't get the help they need at the right time, and they spend their lives struggling to cope with what's going on inside their head. The person we are going to see is an expert in sexual abuse, she deals with young people who are going through the same thing as you every day, it will help you, I promise"

Amber remained silent, she didn't move to put her shoes on, she just sat and stared into space

"So will you put your shoes on please, and come to the appointment with me"

"Mum I really don't want to do this, please don't make me" Tears started to trickle down her face as she said the words, pleading with her Mum.

"What if we go and see how you get on, and if you really don't want to go back then fine, but at least try it"

Amber got up slowly without saying a word, she put her shoes and socks on, and then grabbed her jacket, she followed Grace to the car, and as Grace unlocked the car Amber bolted down the road on foot, Grace shouted after her, but knew she stood no chance of catching her on foot, Amber was a sprinter on her school athletics team.

Grace got in the car and drove off, scouring the streets around her home to find her daughter, without success, she knew Amber would come home once it was too late for the appointment, so she headed home herself to wait for her.

She tried calling her mobile several times, but got no reply, but just as she thought, Amber returned an hour later, Grace had phoned the therapist and cancelled the appointment.

"Where did you go?" Grace asked her

Again Amber just shrugged her shoulders

"For gods sake Amber could you answer the bloody question instead of just shrugging"

"I just went for a walk, I did say I didn't want to go but you wouldn't listen"

"Don't you think that maybe I just want what's best for you"

"But it's what you think is best for me, not what I think is best for me, whose to say you're right and I'm wrong"

"The fact that I'm a bloody psychologist might give me a slight advantage"

"It's my life Mum, doesn't that give me a slight advantage when it comes to knowing what I want"

"What you want isn't necessarily what is best for you, you're fifteen Amber, you might think you know everything, but trust me, you don't"

"Maybe I don't know everything, but I know that I don't want to go to a therapist"

"I need to go to work, are you going to be okay on your own" Grace replied changing the subject

"Yeah" Amber replied quietly

Grace left Amber alone and headed off to work, deciding to tackle the argument again in a couple of days, once Amber had settled down a bit.


	10. Victim Number Two

Another chapter of this one, must admit I am struggling with this one at the moment, I know where it's going, but can't get the words on the page. As always thankyou for reading, I hope you enjoy.

**Chapter 10 – Victim Number Two**

Grace walked into the office quietly, it was mid afternoon, and she didn't really want to talk to anyone, luckily Mel and Spence were both out on enquiries and Boyd was in the lab with Frankie, meaning no one saw her come in, she grabbed herself a coffee and went through to her office. She opened one of the files on her desk, but found it difficult to concentrate, it was around forty five minutes later when she heard a tapping on her office door. She looked up to see Boyd walking in to her office.

"Hi, how did it go?" He asked.

"It didn't."

"What? why not?"

"Because she refused to go, I tried to convince her to give it a go, and she said she would, but then she ran off when we went out to the car."

"Did you find her?"

"She came back home after an hour. I don't know what to do, she won't talk to me, and now she's saying she doesn't want to talk to anybody, she doesn't want to deal with it, no matter what I say."

"Perhaps she just needs time."

"She needs to deal with this sooner rather than later, the longer she leaves it the more impact it will have on her, she's already had eight years to dwell on this and let it affect her, time won't make it go away, it will just make it worse."

"Can we get someone else to talk to her, I'd talk to her if I thought she'd listen to me, but I don't think it would help."

"No I don't think it would, but thank you. I think she's blaming herself, she says she isn't, but I think inside she thinks it's all her fault and she's ashamed of that, that's why she can't talk about it. She's kept it hidden for all this time and now it's out in the open, and all Amber wants to do is sweep it back under the carpet."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know, I feel like I'm too close to this to help her, that's why I arranged the counselling appointment, but I can't drag her to the appointment." Grace sighed. "Is Frankie still in the lab?"

"Yep, we have another body, she's processing the evidence from it now."

"Okay thanks, I need to speak to her."

o0o

Grace left her office and walked through to the lab where Frankie was busy with the evidence she had collected from the second crime scene, as Grace walked through the doors Frankie looked up and smiled at her.

"Hi Grace, how's things?"

"Oh you know, not brilliant. How are you?"

"I'm fine thanks."

"Frankie I need your help."

"With what?"

"Amber."

"Oh right, well if I can help I will, you know that."

"Yesterday, when we were talking about Amber, you said some things." Grace paused, trying to think of the best way to phrase what she wanted to say. "You said some stuff that made me think that you may have been through something similar yourself."

"Similar to what?"

Grace walked closer to Frankie and stood beside her. "It's okay you know."

"What is?"

"If something happened to you, if someone did something to you when you were a child, it's okay to talk about it."

"I'm sorry Grace, I don't know what you mean, nothing happened to me as a child."

"Have you ever actually told anyone?"

"Told anyone what? I've just said there is nothing to tell."

"You do realise that whatever happened wasn't your fault, don't you?"

"I am not having this discussion any more, what ever it was that I said yesterday, you have obviously got the wrong end of the stick." Frankie's voice was tinged with anger.

"Okay Frankie, but can I just say, that when you realise the importance of talking about things, and coming to terms with the past, and you will, eventually, I'll be here for you." Grace turned and walked out of the lab, as she did so Frankie slumped down onto the stool that was by her, covering her face with her hands, she knew Grace wouldn't give up on this, she would keep on and on.

o0o

Back in the bullpen Boyd had called for a case update, they now had a second body to identify, and a case to work on.

"Okay, Frankie what have you got for us?"

Frankie started by placing a picture of the second victim on the board, "This is our second victim, he is as yet unidentified, but is around 30 years old, he was a white male with no distinguishing marks or scars. Cause of death was asphyxiation, as in the first victim, he was found naked and severely beaten. I ran the DNA through the database, but it didn't give us an identity..."

Boyd interrupted her, "What about the Hannah Owens case?"

"Yeah okay Boyd I was just getting to that, the DNA was a positive match for semen found on the body of our cold case Hannah Owens. There was no foreign DNA on the body, so the perpertrator was again very careful. Unlike the first victim, the second victim showed signs of sexual interference."

"He was raped?"

"No, sexually assaulted, there was anal bruising consistent with a foreign object being used on the victim."

"Anything else?" Boyd asked.

"Not yet." Frankie responded, whilst Boyd moved on to talk to Mel and Spence, Frankie caught Grace's eye, she was staring at her, and gave her a small, sympathetic and knowing smile, Frankie quickly looked away.

"So, we have Hannah Owens mother coming in tomorrow morning, Grace and I will speak to her, anyone anything else to offer?" Nobody replied. "Okay, well it's 6.30 and I don't think we'll get anything further done today, so why don't we call it a day."

The team dispersed, and Boyd returned to his office. Grace waited and watched as Frankie walked away, not saying anything, she knew Frankie was hiding a deep and dark secret, something she may well have been hiding for most of her life, probably in the back of her mind everyday, the fear and darkness that came with that secret ever present in her thoughts, and she knew that they would eventually spill over into her reality, and cause her severe problems.

TBC


End file.
